Medical devices run on batteries that, like other batteries, have a finite life span. In many cases, battery powered devices that are implanted in a patient must be replaced when the battery is depleted to a predetermined level. Presently, the voltage in a battery is monitored in real time with what may be called a “gas-gauge” type monitor. If the battery voltage falls below a threshold value, an audible alarm sounds, providing a notification to schedule a replacement procedure. Though the threshold value is chosen such that there is sufficient time to schedule the replacement procedure after the alarm sounds, the audible alarm often causes patient anxiety. Additionally, the audible alarm can cause inconvenience, or even embarrassment, if it is sounded in certain situations (e.g., in a movie theater, etc.).
Anticipating that anxiety, customers (e.g., physicians, nurses, technicians, physician's assistants, etc.) often make service calls to medical device manufacturers, asking for an estimate on battery life. A medical device manufacturer's technical support staff then often asks the customer for certain parameters concerning the medical device and/or the patient, applies a battery longevity model to those parameters, and provides an estimated replacement date to the customer. The volume of service calls that relate to battery longevity consumes a large amount of technical support resources.